Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit G
Unit G
Hundred
and Nine
1
UNIT - 7
Hundred
and Twelve
I don’t like it
Ammu’s mother prepared bitter gourd curry.
Ammu didn’t like it. She didn’t eat anything.
I don’t like
bittergourd.
Eat dear
Hundred
and Fourteen
Role play
Hundred
and Sixteen
Bittu’s song about fruits
fruits vegetables
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Hundred
and Eighteen
Sing the song
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119
Hundred
and Nineteen
Story Time
Princess Tomato’s Marriage
Mr. Pumpkin is the king of vegetables. Princess Tomato is his
daughter. She is red, soft and sweet. Now she is ready for the
marriage. He invited all the princes from various places. Brinjal,
Potato, Carrot, Bitter gourd, Green chilli and Lady’s finger came to
marry the princess.
One by one, tell me
about your qualities to
marry my daughter.
120
Hundred
and Twenty
Hundred and
Twenty Four
Hundred and
Twenty Six
127
7. Efforts have been taken to ensure that the learners get holistic input of language rather than
fragmentary one in terms of language elements, vocabulary items, etc. The language elements
are presented not linearly but in a spiral mode.
The Classroom Process
The general design of classroom transaction will be something like the following:
I. The picture given in the beginning of the unit is meant to be used as a trigger for sensitizing the
learners on the theme around which the lessons in the unit have been woven. Children can
colour the picture and talk about it. The interaction based on this picture will serve as warm up
for engaging the learners in the activities that follow.
ii. The second picture in the beginning of the unit is related to the listening input given to the
learners. The interaction based on the picture will help the learners comprehend the passage
presented to them orally. Individual perceptions and divergent thinking on the part of the
learners are the prime focus of the interaction at this stage. Let children identify the various
objects in the picture and associate the objects with the graph of the words representing these
objects.
iii. This is followed by the presentation of a narrative which will further sensitize the learners on
the theme. The narrative makes the major listening input for the learners. The passage for
listening has been given at the end of the book. However, the teacher need not present the
whole narrative solely in English. Code-switching is suggested for presenting the narrative.
Certain English expressions have been highlighted which are to be narrated in English and the
rest of it can be narrated in mother tongue.
The text on each page is to be elicited through the interaction that takes place in the course of the
presentation of the narrative. Children will be responding in mother tongue. The teacher can put this
in English and write it on a chart. She can read the text generated in this manner and help the learners
associate the text written on the chart with the one printed in the textbook. This process of graphic
reading is very important for the learners to develop phonemic consciousness.
Graphic Reading and Writing
Instead of the unscientific and illogical way of introducing alphabet we can make them read and
write graphically. Graphic reading means reading a word and sensing its meaning without even
knowing the alphabet. Graphic writing means writing something without knowing the letters in
isolation but knowing its meaning in totality as a word. Graphic reading and writing help the learner
pick up the vocabulary without any process conflict i.e., without any problems of spelling and pro-
nunciation. The learners pick up the vocabulary non-consciously.
Organic Reading
The alphabet is not taught independently. Children develop phonemic consciousness trough system-
atic spiralling of discourses which they experience through classroom interaction. After a few days
of experience, learners will be at various levels with regard to skills of reading and writing:
♦ They can identify a number of words as units.
♦ Some of them can identify various English letters.
♦ Some of them can write a few letters of the alphabet.
♦ They have noticed that English letters sound differently when they appear in different words.
NOTE: Use Teacher's Handbook for effective classroom transaction
128
♦ We can make use of several activities before children actually enter
reading a passage. The teacher can write their names on slips and ask them to pin the name
slips on their clothes. The teacher herself can pin her name slip on her clothing. In the evening
they are asked to keep the name slips in a box. Next day morning, they have to take their slips
back and pin them on their clothes.
♦ Later each child can take her friend's slip and hand it over to her.
♦ Children can mark their attendance against the names displayed on a chart.
Organic Writing
Everyone would like to posses a good handwriting. But how to achieve this is the issue. Suppose the
child undertakes writing tasks on her own because she has an urge to do so. Certainly she will try to
improve her handwriting since she is doing this for herself and not for the teacher. How can we instil
this urge in her? The only way to do this is to involve the child in need-based writing tasks, which are
meaningful to her.
All what we have to do is to give those writing tasks that will psychologically appeal to her since she
knows that by doing them she is addressing her own needs. For this she must have opportunities to
see good handwriting. What are the sources for these?
♦ The teacher's writings
♦ Captions on wrappers and packets of commercial products
♦ Sign boards on the road side
As facilitators we have to help children familiarize themselves with these things. A number
of meaningful writing tasks can be thought of.
♦ Labelling things in the classroom
♦ Making picture cards with labels on them
♦ Preparing 'Happy Birthday” cards
Utmost care is to be taken for ensuring that at no point a writing task is imposed on the
learners. They must be intrinsically motivated to write down the words and sentences or to
copy down what the teacher writes on the chart. Forcing them to write down these will be
disastrous. In the early stages of writing children might make a number of errors such as
using wrong spellings, mixing up capital letters with small letters, ignoring the conventions
of writing, etc. Teachers have to appreciate their writing and should have patience enough to
give them proper feedback that will help them reflect on their own writing so that they will be
progressing to the next level of learning.
Sufficient time should be given for the learners to share their ideas with their peers. Whether
they are reading, or constructing discourses opportunities should be provided for the learners
to do the task individually as well as in groups.
Instead of asking and eliciting pre-decided responses from the learners the teacher can initi-
ate dialoguing with the learners using a variety of strategies such as reporting, seeking con-
firmation, agreeing or disagreeing, asking for opinions, etc.
129
Assessment
Language learning process is a continuous one and assessment is not an activity distinct from learn-
ing. Since learning is facilitated through group discussions, pair discussions and individually, assess-
ment also operates at the individual level, in peers and in groups. This will help the learners to
compare their strengths and weakness and make modifications in their learning. We propose Con-
tinuous and Comprehensive Assessment at all levels of language learning. The thrust is on formative
assessment which can be interpreted as assessment for learning and assessment as learning which
are distinct from summative assessment of learning. It is important that the teacher does not judge
the child's nature, instead notices the inherent potential of the child as a learner in the context of his
/ her nature.
As has already been pointed out the development of language skills and thinking skills is taken care
of by the various activities that are to be carried out in the class room such as listening to and reading
authentic texts and responding to them. None of the grammatical concepts and vocabulary items is
meant for de-contextualised testing as was done in our examinations; the learning of various gram-
matical concepts and vocabulary items are to be tested only by placing them in authentic discourse
contexts. Tools available for performance assessment related to a specific unit
♦ Assessment page of Teacher's Lesson Plan ( Teaching Manual)
♦ Diary containing anecdotes revealing snapshots of learner achievement
♦ Self Assessment tools given in the TB (e.g. English VII,V) for the use of learners.
♦ Student portfolio (Collection of the work done by the individual learner)
♦ Big books or other products evolving in groups through collaboration
♦ Feedback collected from parents
♦ Peer assessment tools (specific tools to be evolved)
♦ Worksheets in a specific assessment context
Stages of Assessment
Let us see how the Unit Analysis is done for materialising Continuous Assessment. The following
stages may be useful:
1. Identifying the modules or segments (listening, reading, exercises, etc.) to be transacted in
each unit. At each stage of transaction the facilitator has to bear in mind a few questions:
♦ What are the competencies addressed in this segment /unit?
♦ What are the constructs (concepts, skills, processes, attitudes, etc. ) formed at this stage?
♦ What activities /classroom processes are to be carried out for facilitating the construction of
knowledge at each stage?
2. Using appropriate tools for assessment with specified indicators
3. Giving proper positive feedback to the learners in the form of qualitative statements
4. Recording assessment in terms of the indicators.
You should rise above the textbook and appreciate the fact that language can be taught using
any /every material available in the classroom or outside the class room. The textbook is only a
skeleton that represents the syllabus. The teacher should give it flesh, blood, and life by bringing into
the classroom a wide variety of stimulating materials like photographs, pictures, riddles, models,
art, craft, dance, and anything under the sun that facilitates teaching learning process and makes it a
joyful experience. We hope you could do that.
Happy teaching!
NOTE: Use Teacher's Handbook for effective classroom transaction
130